Teeccino Smoothies for Weight Loss

If you find those extra pounds are not dropping off like you want them to, it may be time to reduce the number of calories you are eating. The challenge no matter what diet you are following is always the same: You have to take in less than you burn up, and that little fact can thwart the best of intentions.

Let’s assume you’ve cut out starchy grains, cheese, fat-laden foods, and baked goods. You’ve switched to non-fat dairy products, low fat salad dressings, low-fat protein choices. You’re even sautéing your veggies in herbal tea and wine to avoid that extra oil. You‘re eating nutrient rich, fiber dense foods and you feel better than ever. BUT…visiting the scale is frustrating as it simply won’t show those pounds dropping down to your ideal weight. It’s time for something that shocks the body into a metabolic burn without triggering a boomerang starvation response that stimulates an out-of-control appetite. The answer? The Teeccino smoothie carefully constructed to replace a meal yet leave you nourished and full.

Liquid: Teeccino of course! Compared to milk, non-dairy milk, or juice, Teeccino has the lowest number of calories (20-30 per 10 fluid oz) that can still fill you up with its satisfying full-body that isn’t watery like tea. Water or tea simply don’t pack the nutrition for a full meal replacement. Juice has too much sugar without fiber that spikes blood sugar plus a load of calories. Teeccino provides readily absorbable potassium with 1g of soluble fiber and only a handful of carbs to make the perfect smoothie base with delicious flavor. Your blood sugar will stay stable and your appetite will remain in your control.

Protein: The key to losing fat, not muscle, is to get a quarter of your calories from protein. Remember, muscles burn up calories so the more you exercise, eat protein and build muscle mass, the leaner you become. Your meal replacement needs a low calorie, easily absorbable protein like whey protein or vegan soy protein that packs 20g of protein in your smoothie. Hemp protein is a possible choice if you’re sensitive to soy, but both have less protein per 30g scoop than whey so you will have to add more to get the desirable level of 20g of protein in your smoothie. Watch out though for protein powders with sugars in them. If you want a flavored, sweetened whey protein that doesn’t contain sugar, try Whey Factors’® by Natural Factors that is sweetened with stevia leaf powder and comes in three flavors. Nutiva’s Hemp Shakes® or Hemp protein powder are great alternatives for vegans. For a creamy addition, try Mori-Nu’s low fat silken tofu.

Fat: Yes, fat but not just any fat! You need medium chain fatty acids that have been shown to speed up the metabolism and provide a feeling of fullness to keep you from snacking later. The best place to get these medium chain fatty acids? Coconut oil. An added benefit is that by adding coconut oil to your smoothie, it will slow down the absorption of the carbohydrates to keep your blood sugar stable for longer. An alternative to coconut oil is flax seed oil, which contains high omega 3, polyunsaturated fatty acids. For people who need to avoid saturated fat, flax seed oil is a good alternative to coconut oil. Buy organic, unrefined coconut or flax oil. Add 1 teaspoon of either to your smoothie.

Antioxidants: The powerhouse nutrients that keep us young and healthy by fighting off free radicals that are generated during normal metabolism as well as from exposure to environmental toxins. Fortunately, great tasting antioxidants are found abundantly in fruits, which is how we get our weight loss smoothies to taste sweet and delicious. Berries and dates have very high antioxidant levels. Typically bananas are used in smoothies, but they don’t pack the antioxidant punch that you can get from dates. Use 3 dates to add sweetness and thicken your smoothie instead of bananas. Add ½ cup of frozen or fresh berries like raspberries, blackberries or blueberries, both of which are very high in antioxidants and low in calories.

Extra Nutritional Boosts: If you want a green drink or an extra boost of antioxidants combined with herbs and probiotics, I recommend adding a scoop of MacroLife’s Macro Greens® or Macro Reds®. I’ve tried lots of green drinks and I can testify that MacroLife’s are better tasting and less gritty than any others. The herbs, enzymes and probiotics support digestive health and the immune system. I like adding 1 scoop to my smoothies and I alternate between the red or the green.